Say Yes
by StatsGrandma57
Summary: Han pops the question. Night of the victory celebration on Endor.


SAY YES

"This what you wanted?" Lando asked Han as he handed him a somewhat oddly shaped case.

"Yep." Han took it from him.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me what's inside."

"Nope." Han flashed him a grin as he picked up a large backpack and a cooler.

"This have something to do with the Princess?"

"No, I'm having an affair with Chewie," came Han's sarcastic reply. "Duh!"

Lando laughed heartily. "I still can't believe my former partner in crime is head over heels in love."

"Lando, my friend, you need to stop living vicariously through my relationship and find one of your own," Han said, laughing. "Seriously. There has to be someone you can smooth talk into going out with you more than once."

"Oh, that hurts, brother."

Han gave him an evil smile. Lando was carrying a case of Corellian single malt whiskey. Earlier, he and Han had unpacked numerous cases of wine, beer and ale. They'd discovered earlier on that the homebrew made by the Ewoks could only be recommended if one wanted to get drunk fast, and only if you could hold your nose while you drank it. One of the things Han and Lando had done before completely abandoning the late Jabba the Hutt's palace was to snap up all the good booze. Jabba had prided himself on his extensive collection of high quality intoxicants. Both agreed that there was something terribly wrong with allowing so much good beverage to go to waste, and that they had an obligation to take it.

"Where's Luke?" Lando asked.

"Don't know. Apparently somewhere else," Han said.

"Thank you, General Obvious," Lando said as they laughed together.

The party was already in full swing; ever since the Death Star had been blasted to smithereens by Lando and his team, there seemed to be partying all over the galaxy. The control of the media had been lifted immediately and the holonet was showing the celebration of the planets and their grateful inhabitants doing what sentients everywhere do best: drink.

"There are single women at this event, I presume," Lando said.

"I'm sure there are. Admittedly, some of them are furry."

"I did not need that image!"

"Well, there's always Mon Mothma."

"I'll take the Ewok."

"Nice to know you have standards. They're low, but you do have them," Han said, grinning wickedly.

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Han located a clearing not far from the fete, close but private. The grass was soft, the underbrush surrounding it lush and thick. The fragrance of wildflowers was in the air, vying for recognition from the scent of bonfires and barbecue. The sky was alight with fireworks. He hid the packages he'd brought sufficiently so that they were likely to remain untouched. He hurried back to the party, which was in full swing, and promised to become more so as it became later and more and more sentients of all kinds became more drunk than most of them already were, and that was saying a lot.

He returned to the party, and the first person he located was Luke, who had arrived and was drinking an Alderaanian ale. There was the smell of woodsmoke and ash on him, but Han said nothing. The young man whom he still referred to as 'the kid' was smiling happily. Han couldn't remember when he'd seen the intense Luke Skywalker so relaxed.

"Hey, kid," Han said, giving him a guy style hug. "Seen your sister anywhere?"

"Uh, she was dancing with Wicket last I checked." Luke, like his sister, was more or less a lightweight when it came to drinking, and Han noticed that his normally pale complexion had acquired a reddish cast. He lifted his ale. "You having one?"

"Maybe a little later." Han was a man with a plan, and he didn't want to be drunk before he took care of the particular mission he had in mind. He went off in search of Leia.

As Luke had said, she was dancing with a very enthusiastic Wicket.

"Excuse me, but I'm cutting in," he said to Wicket, who gestured with great annoyance at Han. He let out a stream of what were probably curse words.

"Thanks for helping me escape," Leia said to Han as they moved out of earshot of Wicket. "I was afraid I was going to be stuck dancing with him all night."

"Persistent little bastards, aren't they?" Han said, picking her up off the ground and spinning her as he kissed her.

"And their breath. If one could bottle that, it'd be capable of wiping out entire civilizations." Both laughed.

"I think it comes from the rotgut they call whiskey," Han laughed. "It's what I imagine gundark piss tastes like. " Leia threw her head back and laughed. "Feel like getting away for a while?"

"I could use a break." She smiled at Han. "Do you have something specific in mind?" Her voice was coy.

"I do, actually."

"Take me away, flyboy." She looped her arm around Han's waist and he laid his around her shoulders. It was for them a perfect fit.

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"This is nice," Leia said.

Han unfolded a blanket he'd removed from his backpack. "Allow me. It wouldn't do for a princess to have to sit in the dirt." This made both of them laugh; Leia had gotten down and dirty everywhere; her tiny size belied both her courage and her persistence.

Leia sat down and smiled. "It's been a good day. I'm telling you, there were more than a few times when I asked myself, is this going to take forever, and is it worth it."

"I think you have your answer."

"There's a lot more work to be done now. And the war was the easy part. But tonight, all I want to do is celebrate."

"And so we shall." Han opened the cooler and pulled out a bottle of wine and took his multitool to uncork it.

"Emera wine! Where did you get that?"

"Nenmo's, on Cularin." He grinned. "I got Admiral Ackbar to send me there for supplies, provided I brought back some celebrity bobbleheads. He collects 'em."

Leia burst out laughing. "The Admiral collects celebrity bobbleheads? Who knew?"

"Hey, everyone's got a secret," Han said, pouring two glasses of wine. He handed one to Leia. "To the next part of our journey."

"To the next part of our journey," Leia smiled and took a sip with Han.

For a few moments, they sat next to each other. Leia had kicked off her shoes and Han his spacer boots. The grass around the blanket was thick and soft. They ran their toes through it, holding each other, smiling, at ease.

"So what's your secret, Flyboy?" Leia asked, kissing Han softly on his lips.

"Well...I have a few." He took the oddly shaped case and opened it.

"What is it?"

"It's a guitar. An antique. Another find from Nenmo's."

"Looks a bit like a jinda, or a zeltron lute."

"Similar. But," he said as he began to set the tuning pegs to their proper positions, "sweeter." Once he got it in tune, he played scales to warm up, and a few arpeggios.

"It does have a nice sound to it," Leia played. "I never knew you were musical."

"Calling me musical might be a stretch. Ask Chewie. On second thought, don't."

"Those sensitive Wookiee ears."

"He's made more than his share of unflattering comments." Both of them laughed.

"How long have you been playing?"

"About five years, give or take. I didn't get in much practice time while I was in carbonite." It had been a terrible period in their lives, but they had survived it and could laugh about it.

"I never heard you play."

"I practice in the aft hold, so not to disturb Mr. Dainty's delicate ears."

"Play something," Leia urged. She could sense that Han was slightly nervous, which was not like him. "I'm a friendly audience." She flashed him a loving smile.

"Just don't throw anything, okay? I'll stop anytime you want me to."

Han launched into a delicate little piece, not complicated, but its simplicity added to its tender beauty.

Tears formed in Leia's eyes as he played. When Han finished the song, he said to her, "I'd have stopped, you know. Making you cry wasn't part of the deal."

"No, it's not like that. It's...my nanny used to sing this song to me. It's a lullaby from Alderaan. Please, play some more."

"You asked for it," Han said, but flashed her a lopsided grin. He picked out a few chords. The music was not familiar to Leia, but it was again a piece that was heartfelt and perhaps even nostalgic.

At the conclusion of the piece, Leia told him, "You're really quite good. Chewie's not exactly what I'd consider a competent music critic." She kissed him. "What was the name of that song?"

"It's a Corellian summer song. I remember hearing it when I was young and for some reason, it stuck with me."

"You learned how to play all these by ear?"

"I found some sheet music for the lullaby on HoloBay." It had cost him a great many credits, and he felt it was one of his better investments. "I first learned how to read music from some sheet music I'd gotten from, of all the crazy places, a monk from the Dai Bendu order while I was in Ando Prime. The monks had had to escape from Andu Prime in order not to get murdered by the rebellion. Their ship needed a lot of repairs, and I offered to help 'em. We hadn't decided on a price, but I was listening to them singing and playing music, and I told the Abbott that I'd take my payment in sheet music. I could have probably charged a lot more, but man, they were good, and that's when I started to think about learning music. The Abbott gave me a databook on how to read it."

"Can you play something that they gave you?"

Han laughed. "It's ironic, I'm an agnostic who loves sacred music. It really sounds better with the vocals, but I make for a pretty thin vocal line."

"You should try it. I love your voice."

"That's because you've never heard me sing," Han said, but smiled. "I've tried some vocal pieces, but I don't think that's where my strength lies."

"I know exactly where your strength lies," Leia said, eyes sparkling, smile mischievous.

"Hold that thought." Han began playing again. "I think you might like this one."

It was the Alderaanian wedding march. Leia gasped as he played the complex, emotional piece.

"Han...you played that beautifully."

"I love the piece. But what I really want is for someone else to play it."

"Why?"

"Because." Han reached down into his thigh holster and pulled out a tiny box. "Because I want you to marry me. Leia, will you marry me?" He opened the box to reveal an exquisitely carved engagement ring that held a Tandgor gem. Its brilliant red color shown brightly in the moonlight.

Leia looked up at him and smiled the most radiant smile Han had ever seen.

"Yes. I want to marry you, Han. I want us to journey together for the rest of our days."

Han removed the ring from the box and slid it on to Leia's finger.

"Wherever that journey takes us," Han said to her, "I want you there with me, for the rest of my life." Han and Leia kissed passionately, with the deepest of emotion.

The two laid down on the blanket for a long time, just watching the moon and stars pass through the night sky, not saying anything, simply embracing.

Han smiled at the woman who was now his fiancee. "Think we should tell Luke?"

Leia smiled up at him. "Nah. We'll tell him tomorrow. This is our time."

"Yes, it is."


End file.
